Asia Pacific Regional Workshop for tourism begins

Asia Pacific Regional Workshop began with the objective of making a common concept for sustainable tourism development of Asia Pacific Region and South Asia.

Discussion would be held on various issues including searching new tourism destinations for the development and expansion of the COVID-affected tourism industry, its diversification, development of tourism infrastructure and increasing investment in this sector in the three-day Workshop organised by Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Nepal Tourism Board and United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).

Representatives of 11 different countries including Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, the Maldives, Indonesia, Iran, the Philippines, Cambodia and Laos a well as UNWTO representatives are been participating in the workshop on better statistics for better tourism.

The UNWTO, which has been organising such-type of programmes in different sector in order to hold discussion on different dimensions of global tourism and to make tourism industry dynamic, organised the regional workshop in Nepal.

In the inaugural session of the Workshop, Tourism Minister Sudan Kirati pointed out the need of paying attention on development and diversification by searching new tourism destination for the development and expansion of tourism industry.

Investment in tourism sector should be increased as well as tourism industry should be developed and expanded up to rural areas, he opined.

On the occasion Director of External Relations of the UN World Tourism Organization, Beka Zakeli, said that quality data was necessary for the development of tourism development plans and promotional activities.

Nepali Ambassador to Spain, Dr Sharmila Parajuli Dhakal, expressed the confidence that the discussions between experts in the workshop would guide world tourism, as it is in a state of reviving following the set back of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Likewise, Jongtae K-park of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea, speaking virtually, expressed the hope that the program would be fruitful in working on quality data and from exchange of experiences.

Chief of Nepal Tourism Board, Dr Dhananjaya Regmi, said the event would help develop new approaches towards tourism and tourism-related statistics.